Intel to launch laptop anti-theft technology

By Dave Nixon

Intel is looking to release an anti-theft technology for laptops, even though the company is keeping quiet about the exact details.

The new competence, which will be called Intel Anti-Theft Technology, is to be added to Intel’s Active Management Technology, part of Centrino vPro and allows IT managers to remotely access and configure computers.

In the event of theft, the technology will “basically lock the system, lock the disk, so people cannot be maliciously using and getting the data,” said Dadi Perlmutter, executive vice president and general manager of Intel’s Mobility Group, at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Shanghai.

The technology, which seems to leave both the processor and storage inaccessible, aims to alleviate concerns over valuable corporate or personal data falling into the wrong hands when laptops are lost or stolen, according to Perlmutter.

The predicament of lost data on stolen and missing laptops is an old problem and a mounting concern, particular for its impact on personal data.

In addition to Intel, numerous other companies are working on the anti-theft technology, including Lenovo Group, McAfee, Fujitsu Siemens Computers and Phoenix Technologies.

More particulars of the technology will be made available when it is closer to being released, Intel said.